Thanks, magicman. 

If anyone didn't see the shot to beat Ithaca, there are 3.9 seconds remaining when RIT inbounds.  I thought the shot was clearly after the buzzer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buZ7kTTxuYk

Best of luck to April, Old School and Hoopsfan.

Don't forget me!  Ithaca is still 6-0.

Magicman,

I wasn't trying to pull a fast one, I just have been very busy at work and with family and I didn't get my pick in on time.  I do try to make a pick every year.  (Remember Coast Guard Academy!)  All along, I have thought that Ithaca has the horses to do what St. John Fisher did in the E8 a few years ago.

As a SUNYAC guy, as much as it pains me to say this, I was far more worried about Ithaca getting through the Rochester tournament than I was against Cortland. 

If I were to win, I promise I'll split the big prize with you so there are no hard feelings.

To stay true to form, I'm also picking Oklahoma to crush Texas Tech in football.

If it is not too late to enter this year, I'll select Ithaca.

Best of luck to all.

Regarding Potsdam's SUNYAC win streak (including SUNYAC playoff games)
35-0 from 85-87 plus

1987-88 -  3 SUNYAC wins before break.  Loss at Scranton.  1st home loss was during winter break in an empty gym at Maxcy to University of Buffalo, 75-70.  This ended a home-court winning streak that was (I think) 57 in a row, including league, non-league, and playoff games.  However, I'm pretty sure that they were out of DIII and out of SUNYAC at that point.  My recollection was that they left SUNYAC a few years before Albany and Binghamton did, as the university centers began their ascent to DI.

Then, 10 more SUNYAC wins in a row.  So, if UB doesn't count, my guess is 48 SUNYAC wins in a row.

For true basketball junkies, at Utica Tech (now SUNYIT) sometime in mid-January, we were down 17 with 1:46 to go and won by one point.  It still remains, in my opinion, as the greatest basketball comeback at any level of play.

A few years ago, my brother, who lives in State College, PA, called me to tell me he met an ex-Utica Tech player who was on the losing side in that game.  That player (Rudy something?) now coaches school ball in central PA, and still uses that game as an example as why it is important to never give up.

The streak ended on the last weekend of the '87-'88 regular season.  We lost to New Paltz on the Friday night before the big game at UAlbany.  A good lesson in why its important to not look ahead.  Still beat Albany 70-68 the next night. 

I just would like to point out for the record that my pick of Coast Guard occurred ten hours before that copycat Knightstalker's, so clearly I have won the coveted second-chance Survivor Pool. 

I plan on updating the "obscure accolades" section of my resume in the morning.

Big thumbs up to smedindy for the Jerry Vale reference.

To atnwriter:

As far as my thinking goes for the Survivor Pool, I do try to pick schools that do not play in holiday tournaments.  While I'm sure it is great fun for the teams involved, playing around Christmastime in warm weather spots (Las Vegas, Florida, Hawaii) after travelling great distances, plus going against unfamiliar competition from perhaps D-II or NAIA schools, doesn't give you the best chance of keeping a streak alive.  I figure if you don't play from mid-December until early January, you give everyone else a chance to lose while you can't, kind of like Ohio State in the BCS.

I also try to stay away from picking school in conferences that have similar institutions that tend to beat each other up, like the public universities in the WIAC, NJAC, SUNYAC, etc. 

I picked Rhode Island College last year because they beat D-1 Iona before the pool started and played in a relatively weak, top-heavy conference.  They dropped only one game, by 4 points, to Keene State prior to January 20th. I almost picked Keene this year, but saw that they had a holiday tournament with Calvin, Montclair St. and Salem St., so I picked RIC again.

Given those criteria, of the remaining unbeatens, Coast Guard seemed to be the best fit. 

As I joked earlier, I think the smart pick is Plattsburgh State. They are loaded.  I just can't pick them.  It would be like Coach K picking North Carolina.

Now I have to go get ready to be buried under snow and ice. Got to love upstate NY.

I'm in for a second try with Coast Guard.

Darn, darn, darn....

I was either going to pick RIC or Keene State and I picked the wrong one!


The truth of the matter is an old Potsdam guy like me just can't "bear" the thought of typing Plattsb.... (see, I can't do it)  in a contest like this one.

Potsdam 93, Ithaca 82

Game tied at 75-75. Potsdam ends on 18-7 run.

I'd like to play.  I choose the Rhode Island College Anchormen.

Rarely do I venture over here from my SUNYAC home, but I'm reading today's Sports Illustrated and they have a 4-page gatefold of the greatest players in basketball history by each inch of height, and then a list of others considered after their first choice.

Lo and behold, I'm working my way down from Manute Bol at 7'7", pondering the choices SI made at every inch, when I get to 5'7" and see Greg Grant as a one of the top ever to play the game for his height.

Trenton State alumni should be proud.  Now I can tell the story of how I saw my alma mater get stopped from returning to the Final Four in 1989 by one of the greatest small men ever to play the game. 

Best of luck to all in the upcoming season. 

I'm sure this will put me in the minority, but I liked the 1980's 4-team tournament that rotated the championship between campus sites of East #1 (usually Potsdam or Albany) and West #1 (usually Buffalo State or Brockport).  It made for a great weekend, with thousands of fans.  I thought going to the Tuesday/ Friday/ Saturday, eight-team format cheapened it a bit.  I've been to the Aud in Utica almost every year, and I think it is pathetic.  High school games draw more than the SUNYAC championship does.  Players should have the ability to close their collegiate careers in front of many fans, not empty seats. 

Thanks Fran, you're right.

There were many career stats in that record book, so when I scrolled down through the .pdf file I missed the transition to tournament records.  Must have been frostbite on the brain from the ice storm.